For context, I had my surgery on the 7th. I feel like maybe I'm eating more than I should be. I see people saying they can only get a couple bites of something and they actually feel full. But I can eat more than a couple bites and I'm actively conscious of how much I eat so I force myself to stop. There is a slight feeling of fullness by that point but even still. Should I be eating less? What are the signs of being full?

I feel the same way...I had my surgery on the 9th

I had surgery on the 9th, just started mushy/solid foods a couple days ago, I like to put what I'm about to eat into a 1/4 of a cup and eat from that, some foods I feel full some I don't and I feel like I could eat more but I give it about 10 minutes to settle then I'm full and glad I didn't take another bite, when I'm full I get a heavy feeling in my stomach and I've noticed I get hiccups too, I feel like if I were to take another bite I might throw it up but that's just me. I could still be swollen and that's why I feel that way.

I haven't felt full yet either. I am noticing as I get to the end of my 3 oz my stomach starts to gurgle. I'm taking that as my sign. It is so different for everyone.

I tend to eat distracted and am working to break that habit. I've literally been eating with my eyes closed so I can really concentrate on how my body feels and reacts to what I am eating.

Since I don't really feel full I'm very careful to portion everything to keep from overeating.

I'm not sure if you were told to eat protein first....if not...try it. You will definitely get full after two or three bites. When I'm full i either get the hipcups and or belch. My nosie runs when I overeat.

I'm just getting into puréed foods so I haven't had food protein yet. But I'll keep that in mind going forward, thank you!

I never feel full after a few bites. I'm about 4 weeks out of surgery and I can eat most proteins, but not pork or beef. If I'm having salmon or chicken I don't feel full after a few bites. I've been posting on here that I'm nervous I'm eating too much...so I have a food scale and now I'm weighing everything. I eat about 2 ounces of protein and then I stop...even if I feel like I could eat more. I don't want to be full to the point of feeling sick but I would love that feeling of fullness and knowing I ate enough and should stop.

Just moved on to pureed foods. I start with protein (still eating mostly protein). I am measuring food. I eat what I have measured and I stop. I don't feel full, but during the day, I am satisfied and move on. At night, I feel hungry throughout the evening.

I have never felt overly full, I have never had a sensation of eating too much.

Post-op (thankfully) I only felt nauseous 3 times, and all three times that passed without getting ill.

I feel like I must be eating too much, and I am just not sure?

I eat considerably less than I did pre-op, but way more than I expected to, and eating is too easy. I expected that post-op I would take a few bites of sugar free jello and be full. Even when I had sugar-free jello in the hospital, I could take more than a couple of bites.

Maybe because I am still on pureed foods, they are all still slider foods?

Maybe I am eating too fast for the feeling of fullness to develop?

Also, if something comes up and I do not eat on my prescribed schedule, then I feel quite hungry. For example, I had to help one of my kids with something today, and I wasn't able to have my protein drink on schedule, and I was quite hungry by the time I got to the protein drink.

All of this is very concerning! I expected to have more of a limitation. I knew I had to work with the tool, but I expected more a physical sensation that would help. Overall, my recovery from surgery has been easy. However, I am feeling unsure how to maximize the effectiveness of my tool! Yikes!

Just moved on to pureed foods. I start with protein (still eating mostly protein). I am measuring food. I eat what I have measured and I stop. I don't feel full, but during the day, I am satisfied and move on. At night, I feel hungry throughout the evening.
I have never felt overly full, I have never had a sensation of eating too much.
Post-op (thankfully) I only felt nauseous 3 times, and all three times that passed without getting ill.
I feel like I must be eating too much, and I am just not sure?
I eat considerably less than I did pre-op, but way more than I expected to, and eating is too easy. I expected that post-op I would take a few bites of sugar free jello and be full. Even when I had sugar-free jello in the hospital, I could take more than a couple of bites.
Maybe because I am still on pureed foods, they are all still slider foods?
Maybe I am eating too fast for the feeling of fullness to develop?
Also, if something comes up and I do not eat on my prescribed schedule, then I feel quite hungry. For example, I had to help one of my kids with something today, and I wasn't able to have my protein drink on schedule, and I was quite hungry by the time I got to the protein drink.
All of this is very concerning! I expected to have more of a limitation. I knew I had to work with the tool, but I expected more a physical sensation that would help. Overall, my recovery from surgery has been easy. However, I am feeling unsure how to maximize the effectiveness of my tool! Yikes!

I'm with you, sometimes I don't feel full. Ugh.
I have a scale and just start using it. Saw my surgeon on Wednesday and he said my pouch should hold 90ml that's less than half a cup. I told him I was eating a cup to a cup and a half. He said I was over eating. So now I'm scared and don't want to eat and when I do I feel overwhelmed and feel as I'm overeating and so freaked out and scared.


Aka_ET

HW-220
Pre-op 194.3
RNY
SD June 16th 2017
CW-169.8
GW-140
HT 5' 3"
[emoji120][emoji878][emoji1272]

"You may see me struggle but you will never see me quit"

Boy, I'm with you! I am 15 days post surgery and I have never felt full. Twice in the last 3 days I have thrown up (not much) but I never had a full or even almost close to full feeling. I don't know if I drank my tea and water too fast, but it came on really quick and I felt better within minutes. Today I have really tried to slow down on my drinking. I'll see if that works

Well, is anything working? I have slowed down, and I measure my foods. I chart everything I eat, and I am getting in my protein and I am under 800 calories a day.

I know I am eating way less than I did pre-op, I am eating about 1/3 of a cup at a time.

Weight loss has been slow for a little over a week - and that is FRUSTRATING!

Last week I danced around up and down the same .5 to 1 pound up and down, then lost about two. This week I am dancing around the same way .5 up or down, but nothing lower yet... hoping tomorrow shows promise.

6 minutes ago, Sassy Sleeve said:

Well, is anything working? I have slowed down, and I measure my foods. I chart everything I eat, and I am getting in my Protein and I am under 800 calories a day.

I'm glad you're seeing some progress. I have lost half a pound to a pound each day or two. It's coming off, but I guess I expected it to move faster because I'm eating so much less. I'm also being really careful to eat a very low carb diet, and before my surgery that always worked well for me. I guess I feel like I'm following the low carbs and eating so little that the weight should be melting off. As long as I continue to see progress I'll be fine. I think my issue is more that my expectations might not have been realistic.

Yesterday was my 4 week anniversary of my surgery and I'm down 33 pounds I think. That's good progress so I just need to keep it up. When I saw my surgeon last Monday he told me I should lose another 20 pounds before my next appt. at the end of September. I've lost 5-6 in the last week so I think I'm on track.

2 minutes ago, TammyA said:

Yesterday was my 4 week anniversary of my surgery and I'm down 33 pounds I think. That's good progress so I just need to keep it up. When I saw my surgeon last Monday he told me I should lose another 20 pounds before my next appt. at the end of September. I've lost 5-6 in the last week so I think I'm on track.

Congrats!

Yes, I think expectations do play into it! I was happy at my 1-week post-op appointment. I was down almost 22 pounds (one week pre-op and one week post-op). Now 12 days later - I am down not quite 25 pounds... that is only 3 pounds in 12 days - and at this stage - so close to surgery I just thought I would be losing a little faster.

However, If I re-frame it to 25 pounds in 30 days... then it is significant. 9.5% of my starting body weight in 30 days.

Plus, while the purpose is different, the pre-op diet and immediate post-op diet are not that different than some fad diets... and pre-sleeve I would have gained significant weight back moving forward to eating other foods.... and I am still losing.

I wish I had a better sense of what expected weekly weight loss is... My next appointment is at 1-month - and I do plan on talking with them about this at that point in time. I will probably call next week if I am still seeing the scale move this slowly - just to get a sense of what is expected.

7 minutes ago, Sassy Sleeve said:

expected.

I loved that my doctor told me how much I was expected to lose before my next appointment. Now I know what I'm working toward. I would definitely call so you have some idea of where they want you to be!

I haven't moved to even purees yet. I'm a little nervous because when it comes to liquids, I feel zero limitations. Even with shakes. I can drink eight ounces in 15 minutes, no big deal.

Not sure how more solid food will go over

Maybe I will eat too much because it's just as easy? Maybe it will suddenly finally be hard and it will be a rude awakening.

No idea and that freaks me out a little.

My surgery got moved up a day - so I was on clear liquids for 8 days (my program is very limiting).

As much as I say I don't feel "full" like I expected too - once I started eating some food - I eat far less than I did before. There is no comparison.

I think it is more that the constriction I expected is simply not there the way I expected it. Both here and in face-to-face support group I go to, people talk about only being able to eat 1/2 an egg or less at first. I am able to eat 3-4 oz of food.

Thankfully, I have never thrown-up. I have not even felt nausea since day two post-op and that was very minor. So, those are the good things.

I have followed my program - and it is clear that this tool will help, and my bigger worry, that I will need to address is that while it will help, I am not going to have a honeymoon period of "I just can't handle eating that".

Yes, I understand that eventually everyone winds up in a place where they can regain the weight by returning to bad habits.

Honestly, I think it is a double edged sword. I certainly don't envy people who are sick for months and get dehydrated. However, I would love to feel like I have to remind myself to eat - and I don't. I have to measure my food, or I could sneak in too much. I am hopeful that when I eventually get to the point of being able to eat not softened protein, that I will feel more of the restriction.

If I follow the prescribed eating pattern, which alternates food with protein, then I feel satisfied. I have learned though that when I am running around, I have to carry a protein shake with me - if something happens and I get off that schedule, then I feel hungry!

I am committed to making this work. I just keep thinking I should feel more full more easily.